Understanding the biodiversity of our planet is critical for developing conservation strategies. This series of datasets shows the biodiversity of birds, mammals, and amphibians. Said simply, these maps show how many kinds of birds or mammals or amphibians live in each area around the world. These maps look at just the animals on land and don’t include any marine animals. Also included are corresponding maps of where the threatened species live, the ones at greatest risk of extinction. Knowing where these threatened species live can help direct conservation efforts to ensure that the places with the most vulnerable species are being protected.
These species data come from BirdLife International, including over 11,000 different known species of birds. Everything from Black-billed Nightingale-thrush to the Bolivian Warbling-finch to the Blue-moustached Bee-eater have been included. The tropics usually have the most species, particularly areas of wet tropical forest. The most diverse areas can have five or six hundred species! Cold or dry areas have far less diversity.
Science On a Sphere
